With a massive, charged nucleus orbited by tiny electrons, atoms are such simple objects. Miraculously, they make up everything we know. — One of the most remarkable facts about our existence was first postulated over 2000 years ago: that at some level, every part of our material reality could be reduced to a series of tiny components that still retained their important, individual characteristics that allowed them to assemble to make up…

How Ideology is getting in the way of good city building — Progressive cities have been telling themselves a myth for (at least) the last 20 years. Conjuring an identity based on virtue, and strengthened by a sort of moral superiority that looks down its nose at every other part of the country, large, prosperous, and blue cities have come to believe…

It was a January morning. The air was perfectly still. It was so cold that my dogs had entombed themselves in my covers, digging into layers of blankets until they were blocked by the eventual resistance of memory foam. Self-portrait, Myla Morningstar That’s how it began the morning of the…

She travels a lot, so she must have a good job. She travels a lot, so she must be irresponsible. She travels a lot, so she must be sucking a lot of dick. She travels a lot, so she’s used goods. She travels a lot, so she’s a user. …

The U.S. may make daylight saving time permanent, but not everyone is happy. — By Kevin Bennett KEY POINTS Permanent daylight saving time could be implemented in November 2023. Permanent daylight saving time should increase outdoor physical activity and socializing while decreasing crime and seasonal affective disorder. Sleep researchers and neurologists have expressed concern about how human bodies will perform without the early morning…

Over the past few days the Ukrainians have destroyed seven enemy boats which were attempting to land sabotage and reconnaissance groups on the islands near Kherson. The pathetic scale of the Russia’s current water-born endeavors underline how the balance of naval power has shifted in the Black Sea. The Black…

It’s not a dental implant. I have become a technological marvel. — By Shannon Carpenter I cracked my tooth on a nacho and now I’m a cyborg. The transition to becoming mechanically better than everyone else was difficult and full of pain. But in the end, it has been worth it for a piece of me will live forever. …

Is there a vaccine for preventing old white guy stupidity? — I’m wondering what happens to older white guys who say things like, “Five or ten years ago bedrock liberalism was driving to become a colorblind society where we don’t do race.” That was Bill Maher in a CNN interview I just saw on YouTube. …

Why we must unlearn misogyny — Those of us on the left are going to be no strangers to the subject of misogyny. Many people’s first experience with left-wing politics will come in the form of learning about feminism in some capacity. …

How to know if you might be a junkie, plus small steps you can take to promote a healthier and longer life — Ultra-processed food, aka highly processed or junk food, now accounts for more than half of all calories consumed in the United States and the U.K., fueling soaring rates of obesity in adults and children and increasing the risk of physical disease, dementia and early death. …

What is a novel, but a number of short stories strung together? — Into The subtitle is true. What is a novel, but a number of short stories strung together, using the same characters, places, and plot? This perspective is one that I have started to adopt, as a means to work on my longer fiction. Being able to take smaller bites out of…

It’s not what you are reading in the news — striking is national entertainment — You may have seen pictures of a million protesters lining the streets of Paris. If we are to believe the news, they’re outraged because President Macron is once again trying to raise the retirement age to 64 from the current 62. You’re probably feeling a bit outraged yourself, right now…

Learning to cultivate the Creative Power of Silence — I sit quietly within uncertainty, Letting Silence germinate! I do not rush the creative moment For an Idea is about to be born. I sit quietly with certainty. I do not doubt my Divinity. For the birth of this Idea Relies on the strength of my Will. Silence is my…

Book by David Graeber and David Wengrow — I am 165 pages into this 526-page tome — that’s 526 reading pages, plus another 160 pages or so of notes, bibliography, and index. It is a major work by these two authors. The book presents itself as a veritable tour de force of anthropology and archeology, and I suspect…

Aug. 27–28, 2011. Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Tropical Storm Irene, recently weakened from a hurricane, was dumping massive amounts of rain and whipping the eastern seaboard with intense winds. …

Even if there is an “immortal soul”, its amnesia will be far more severe than an Alzheimer’s patient’s — Think about it. The formation of plaque inside the human brain can lead to serious memory loss. We most definitely, scientifically and unquestionably need a brain to form a memory. I have no patience with people who say, “Science can have nothing to say about the afterlife.” Nonsense. It is…

The events that contribute to the breakdown of Black communities across America started as early as 1619 after we were first bought to this country as slaves. For now, let’s look into the 1980s crack epidemic which plays a huge part in many issues currently surrounding African American communities. Crack…

Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has fractured the Franco-German model that has been at the heart of Europe since WWII — One of the consequences of Putin’s mindless invasion of Ukraine has been to shatter the post-war “gentlemen’s agreement” that has in many ways shaped Europe since the 1950s. In the post-war period, France was suffering from deep internal schisms resulting from a profound lack of agreement regarding what sort of…

And why you should care — A few days ago, I attended a scientific conference on mental health disorders. …